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3,000yo brain surgery patient likely treated with cannabis, magic mushroom 'painkillers' - study
A Russian researcher has published a new study on a 3,000-year-old medical procedure in which the patient was likely anaesthetized with natural hallucinogens and rhythmic music before the surgeon chiselled into their skull. The study of a Bronze Age man's skull has shed some light into how ancient people of the Krasnoyarsk region in northern Russia treated intracranial diseases.
Published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, the study suggests that mind-bending natural stimulants such as magic mushrooms, cannabis and even the beat of a drum were used to dull the pain caused by primitive surgical instruments. Discovered at the Anzhevsky burial ground last year, the human skull is around 3,000 years old. It features a curious hole to the left parietal lobe, which scientists believe was the result of moderately successful ancient brain surgery, or trepanation.
Dr Sergey Slepchenko, of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography in Novosibirsk, told The Siberian Times the patient survived the initial procedure but likely died later from complications during the recovery period. "The surgeon probably stood face-to-face to the patient on the left side. Or the surgeon may have fixed the head with his left arm or between his knees [and] operated with his right hand," Slepchenko said.
[...] "One of the most dangerous complications of trepanation is bleeding which develops immediately after the skin incision," Dr Slepchenko said. "To minimize bleeding and reduce pain, the operation had to be carried out as fast possible by presumably highly-skilled surgeon. It is not clear how they stopped the bleeding."
I loved the title of the article. I didn't realize there were very many 3,000 year old patients, let alone candidates for brain surgery.
Ante Mortem Cranial Trepanation in the Late Bronze Age in Western Siberia (DOI: 10.1002/oa.2543)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 21 2016, @10:37AM
What actual evidence is presented for that "suggestion"?
Since when do you need actual evidence? You believe you live on a spinning ball somewhere in the void, based on what you have been spoon-fed since birth.
You even refuse to preform a simple experiment [soylentnews.org] to put your money where your mouth is.
Get your ass off your office chair. Stop looking at your screen.
Time to wake up, monkey.
(Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Sunday August 21 2016, @11:42AM
I've not put any money anywhere. I'm not making an extraordinary claim.
Why don't you tell me about the experiments you've done to prove that the world is flat? Why don't you explain time zones? Why don't you tell me where you think the sun goes at night?
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 21 2016, @01:23PM
Since you sound like I denied you answers to your questions, allow me to clear the air here:
Why don't you tell me about the experiments you've done to prove that the world is flat?
I have not done any experiments "to prove the world is flat". I have done some experiments that prove that the world's shape is not consistent with that of a convex sphere, 6371 km in radius. One of them is to be able to clearly see an object that is no more than 10 m high, from 20 km away, across a large body of water, from a vantage point no higher than 4 m. The value of 20 km of distance to the object is a lower limit, and the other values are all upper limits, so there is a generous allowance "in favor" of the convex ball scenario. There is no plausible combination of atmospheric distortion, mathematical mumbo-jumbo or amounts of aged single malt whiskey that can account for the missing curvature.
Why don't you explain time zones?
I take it you mean how is it that you can verify that it is f.i. morning in the Americas and afternoon in Europe. This can be explained as follows: if the Earth is flatter than the amount of flatness allowed by the convex sphere model above, then this can be modeled by a Sun that acts more like a spotlight. As said Sun travels that flatter Earth, its emission is more localized and light tends to illuminate only part of the Earth at any given time. To me this is plausible, as I have seen evidence both for the proximity of the Sun, as well as a 'hot spot' of sorts, highly localized, and directly below it.
Why don't you tell me where you think the sun goes at night?
Same concept used for the time zones above: during your local astronomical midnight the Sun has the maximum physical distance from you. I am certain that you will ask "then how come I do not see it ALL the time?", to which I can only answer you by hypothesizing.
But this is not because I am elusive or evasive of your questions: it is because to settle this, physical access is needed to a) the North Pole, b) Antarctica (below 60S) and c) the stratosphere. Problem is, whenever someone tries to go to any one of those places, a thug with a gun will show up and order you to turn around.
Crazy stuff, eh?
(Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Sunday August 21 2016, @09:25PM
I have done some experiments that prove that the world's shape is not consistent with that of a convex sphere, 6371 km in radius. One of them is to be able to clearly see an object that is no more than 10 m high, from 20 km away, across a large body of water, from a vantage point no higher than 4 m.
How much of a 10m tall object should one expect, from 20km away, to see with a vantage point 4m above water level? Both with and without taking refraction into account?
I shouldn't be asking you anything you haven't already worked out here...
What was your location when you took the measurements? At what location were you looking? Did you take photographs? Any other documentary evidence?
then this can be modeled by a Sun that acts more like a spotlight. As said Sun travels that flatter Earth, its emission is more localized and light tends to illuminate only part of the Earth at any given time. To me this is plausible,
No, it's utter bollocks, because we can watch it go down below the horizon every night.
Same concept used for the time zones above: during your local astronomical midnight the Sun has the maximum physical distance from you.
Why does the Sun not changes angular size during the day, if its distance is changing?
On a more philosophical note: at what point in history do you believe the powers that be decided not to keep updating the "accepted" science with new discoveries, and instead decided that any further refinements must be hidden from the populace? And why? And how the hell have they been able to keep the secret?
It's a ridiculous notion.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk